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MY DAD, MY SUPERHERO! ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF LEE JOON KIAT
MY DAD, MY SUPERHERO…
holiday was a winter trip to Korea where his sons learned to ski. “[They were] falling down together as they skied, it was a lot of fun,” he recalls, beaming with delight. Now, Joon Kiat’s sons are all grown up. He has set his own expectations for his sons when they become independent. “I told them to buy us [parents] a tour package every quarter; and at the end of the year, I would book tickets for the whole family for a vacation,” he says. “That is how I value family.”
Staying Close
Joon Kiat hopes his sons will be honest, humble, appreciative, and caring. “To take care of one another, especially their parents” is of utmost importance to him. “My parents taught us that we must be close. And I am imparting this to my three sons,” he shares. In view of this, Joon Kiat, who is the middle child of five siblings, makes it a point to gather at each of his siblings’ houses every weekend. He explains, “[This is] not only for my generation, but for the younger generations as well. Let them know one another as you never know when you will need each other.”
Bonding Through Dragon Boating
Joon Kiat’s three sons appear to have inherited their father’s passion for sports. Shihong was in his junior college’s canoeing team, Shiwei was a Singapore National Handball player, and Shihao was in the school basketball team. Joon Kiat misses the days when his sons would join him for his afternoon dragon boat training sessions, where they paddled together and had a lot of fun. When Joon Kiat goes for dragon boat races, his whole family would cheer him on from the shore. Joon Kiat says one of the reasons why he took up dragon boating was to get closer to his sons. Prior to joining LTA, Joon Kiat had been travelling frequently for work, and he discovered that his frequent absences increased the distance between him and his sons. As such, he decided to return to Singapore to be close to them. He says jovially, “I made use of dragon boating to get close to them. We could go to gym together. They wanted to challenge me when they saw that I was so fit. Initially, I beat them many times and they were surprised.” “But now, they are like commandos. It is quite difficult to beat them,” he says with a laugh. His sons also boast about Joon Kiat’s trophies and biceps to their friends, says Joon Kiat.
About the Singapore Dragon Boat Association
Founded in 1987, the Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) is the national sport authority that oversees, regulates, and promotes the sport of dragon boating in
Singapore. The association is funded by Sport Singapore and, with only two permanent staff members, is heavily dependent on volunteers. As one of the association’s management committee members, Joon Kiat joined SDBA a few years back to learn about officiating dragon boat event. He explains, “SDBA officiates the dragon boating events in Singapore, such as the SEA Games in 2015. Our duties include planning, umpiring, timekeeping, overseeing the safety of the dragon boaters, water traffic controlling, and prize presentation, to name a few.” He says the biggest dragon boat event in Singapore is the year-end Singapore River Regatta, which hosts around 3,000 athletes and over 180 races spread over a weekend. “SBDA promotes dragon boat racing in Singapore via the quality of our races and the officiating. In addition, it also supports the Singapore National Dragon Boat Team (N-team) to compete in international sports events,” says Joon Kiat. “SBDA also offers courses like coaching development, race official development, competitive development, recreational development, and certifying steerspersons for dragon boating.” Singapore is home to around 125 dragon boat teams, and there is a growing interest in dragon boating among foreigners. “We have expat teams formed by British, Irish, Spanish, Hong Kongers, Canadians, and Americans, amongst others. [We also have] teams from tertiary institutions, such as NUS, NTU, RP, SP, etc. Dragon boat is also popular amongst the government agencies like LTA, HDB, and Ministry of National Development to name a few,” he shares.
Valuable Lessons
“It is a fantastic sport to be in,” says Joon Kiat enthusiastically. In his opinion, the crux of dragon boating lies in “teamwork”. He explains that there are a few types of paddling strokes to apply in a dragon boat race. At the start, the paddlers have to put in a lot of strength to get the boat moving, while in the middle of the race, they will use a longer stroke to keep the boat gliding at a good speed. Towards the finishing line, the faster strokes are used to emerge as the winner. In order to achieve this, every paddler’s stroke has to be synchronised. “Once you are synchronised, the boat will become relatively light and fast. It is really about teamwork,” he says. He says he has applied this valuable lesson to other aspects of his daily life, such as at work. In addition, Joon Kiat aspires to continue dragon boating till he is 82! He is inspired by the ThousandYear-Old Dragon (千歲龍) team from Hong Kong, which comprises twelve elderly men who have been paddling for over three decades. “Their average age is 75 year old,” he marvels. Lee Joon Kiat receiving his trophy after a dragon boat race.
IA
From L to R : Lee Shyh Woei (Shiwei), Lee Joon Kiat, Teo Meei Fen, Lee Shyh Horng (Shihong) and Lee Shyh Haur (Shihao).
FO TO L
LIVING.HK
JUNE 2016
EPOCH TIMES
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” — Billy Graham
F
athers are great figures who are often overlooked. They come in all shapes and sizes: laughing, jovial and expressive; or quiet and stoic, loving and supporting his child from a distance. But all good fathers share several similarities: as the head of the family, a father guides his children and shows them the way. He endeavours to be a role model and to lead by good example. Experienced in the skills of life, he passes on his knowledge and teaches his children to be independent and self-reliant. In spite of his desires to spend more time with his children, a father also has to work hard to support his family. As German artist, Albrecht Dürer (1471– 1528) said, “My father suffered much and toiled painfully all his life, for he had no resources other than the proceeds of his trade from which to support himself and his wife and family.” Like a titan, a father protects his child from harm and fear. In his child’s heart, he is like a superhero! The ancient Chinese honoured fathers with a reverence equal to that of kings. The ancient Chinese character “monarch” contained within it the symbol for “father”. So on June 19, don’t forget to celebrate Father’s Day. It’s the time to honour one of the most unsung heroes in our lives. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers!